Askthepizzaguy
02-09-2010, 21:14
GOP wary of pitfalls in Obama's health care summit
https://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb225/askthepizzaguy/pitfall.jpg
IT'S A TRAP!!!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8) Obama's call for bipartisanship nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to get the Republicans to express their better ideas, which he knows full well they don't have! Surely the GOP won't fall for such a cheap trick. Take evasive action! Move closer and engage those super star destroyers at point blank range! Pew pew pew!
Article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100209/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul
WASHINGTON – Republican leaders expressed renewed skepticism Tuesday about President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan forum on health care, raising questions about how much can be achieved at the televised event later this month.
After meeting with Obama at the White House to discuss jobs, House and Senate GOP leaders told reporters there might be room for bipartisan accord on that topic. They were much more dubious about health care, however, the president's signature issue that has been bottled up in Congress for weeks.
"It's going to be very difficult to have a bipartisan conversation with regard to a 2,700-page health care bill that the Democrat majority in the House and the Democrat majority in the Senate can't pass," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "It really is time to scrap the bill and start over."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made similar remarks, even though the White House says Obama has no plans to start the process from scratch.
With the two sides at such odds, some Republican activists privately worry that their party's leaders might be walking into a trap on Feb. 25 designed to portray their health care proposals as thin.
If so, a shaky showing by GOP leaders event could possibly embolden congressional Democrats to make a final, aggressive push to overhaul the nation's health care system, with or without any Republican votes.
Some Republicans doubt that scenario, saying Democrats have lost momentum for any plan that's certain to draw fierce criticism. But they noted that the White House has not backed away from its support of legislation similar to what the Democratic-controlled House and Senate passed separately last year over strong GOP objections.
"This is a clever tactic by the president to try to put the Republicans on the defensive," said John Feehery, a GOP consultant and former congressional aide.
The House's top two Republican leaders openly questioned Obama's sincerity and hinted they might skip the meeting if he uses the Democratic bills as the starting point for discussions.
"Assuming the president is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over?" said a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel from Boehner and GOP Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia.
"If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate," Boehner and Cantor wrote.
That's how conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh sees it. He says Republicans should not be afraid of being called naysayers on health care — they should wear the label proudly. "Negotiating with Obama is a waste of time," Limbaugh said on his program Monday. "All it's doing is helping him fulfill a photo-op promise of having this stuff televised, and it's also to set (Republicans) up as the reason this didn't pass."
They asked Obama to rule out using "budget reconciliation" rules, which could allow Democrats to enact some health care provisions with a simple Senate majority, not the 60-vote super majority needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics. Democrats control 59 of the Senate's 100 seats.
White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said the president will not rule out using reconciliation, but is sincere in wanting to hear Republicans' ideas.
In announcing his call for the bipartisan event in a CBS News interview Sunday, Obama was vague when asked whether he was willing to start from scratch on health care. But the White House circulated talking points saying the president is "adamant about passing comprehensive reform similar to the bills passed by the House and the Senate" shortly before Democrats lost their filibuster-proof Senate majority.
All presidents command a bully pulpit, and Democrats feel Obama was especially nimble in parrying House Republicans' arguments and criticisms at a Jan. 29 televised event. The Feb. 25 setting could offer him a similar chance to spar with his critics.
Liberal groups hope Americans will see the Republicans as obstructionists, possibly encouraging Democrats to use their still-sizable congressional majorities to enact their health care proposals via the budget reconciliation rules, without GOP help.
If the Feb. 25 meeting clarifies the sharp differences between the two parties, "that might be helpful," said Richard Kirsch of the liberal Heath Care for America Now.
But some Republicans said Obama runs the risk of appearing insincere if he convenes the bipartisan gathering without showing greater willingness to shelve or greatly change his party's proposals.
From my perspective, we've been debating this whole thing for quite some time. Republicans have had many ideas put into the bill, which tells me that two people are liars; those who say that the GOP has no ideas, and the GOP for suggesting that the Democrats are just giving them the cold shoulder. The truth is the GOP has had their say, they've been able to offer suggestions and ideas and many have been incorporated. Many of the ideas the Dems are suggesting are the ones the GOP themselves offered as a counter to Hillarycare. The whole process has been long and agonizing and deliberate, and most of it was televised. Now the GOP doesn't like that some recent negotiations took place off camera, fair enough. But when they will get to share a stage at a televised event where they can share their ideas (again), they are worried?
Why? This isn't a pundit's cable program where they will get shouted down and not allowed to speak. They will be able to have the floor and blow smoke for a good long time without interruption, all televised, and they can prove their point that they have better ideas. If the ideas are sound and the American people are listening, then they could easily score political points, gain ground in November, and perhaps even re-shape the debate about healthcare, because the Dems have their butts on the line come election time, and they are too chicken **** to actually follow their principles. They will vote however they think will get them re-elected. So, the Republicans will have more power in this upcoming televised event than they could possibly imagine, and they are shying away?
What exactly are they afraid of, is my question. I've been hearing lots of tough, aggressive talk lately. You'd think they'd be itching for a chance to verbally wrestle the Democrats to the ground. What gives?
---
I also love the "start over" talking point. We've had decades to discuss how to reform the system. We know what ideas both sides have, why are we kidding ourselves to think that something new will come up? There's only so many ways to pay for something, and only so many ways to reduce costs. Neutral experts have been consulted, the CBO has looked at the Dems' proposal and called it fiscally sound. We've been talking about it at length for, it seems, a year straight. Now we're going to trash all the progress we've made and start over? Nakedly, this means: Please delay until next election. Please delay until next election. Hopefully we can reduce the Democratic majority enough to ensure that with a couple Dems bought and paid for, the reform will never happen. Which is a good thing, since health care costs are approaching 1 out of every 5 dollars we spend, and other countries spend far less than that to cover everybody. But that's government, and government is wrong. We're much better off under the insurance companies who will toss us out for no reason, raise premiums at any time they wish, while making record profits. I'm pining for the "death panels". Please, give me a death panel. Ration me some healthcare. I'd stand a better chance under such a fictional system than with the 100% failure rate that the current system is giving someone like me, who has no money.
https://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb225/askthepizzaguy/pitfall.jpg
IT'S A TRAP!!!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8) Obama's call for bipartisanship nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to get the Republicans to express their better ideas, which he knows full well they don't have! Surely the GOP won't fall for such a cheap trick. Take evasive action! Move closer and engage those super star destroyers at point blank range! Pew pew pew!
Article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100209/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul
WASHINGTON – Republican leaders expressed renewed skepticism Tuesday about President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan forum on health care, raising questions about how much can be achieved at the televised event later this month.
After meeting with Obama at the White House to discuss jobs, House and Senate GOP leaders told reporters there might be room for bipartisan accord on that topic. They were much more dubious about health care, however, the president's signature issue that has been bottled up in Congress for weeks.
"It's going to be very difficult to have a bipartisan conversation with regard to a 2,700-page health care bill that the Democrat majority in the House and the Democrat majority in the Senate can't pass," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "It really is time to scrap the bill and start over."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made similar remarks, even though the White House says Obama has no plans to start the process from scratch.
With the two sides at such odds, some Republican activists privately worry that their party's leaders might be walking into a trap on Feb. 25 designed to portray their health care proposals as thin.
If so, a shaky showing by GOP leaders event could possibly embolden congressional Democrats to make a final, aggressive push to overhaul the nation's health care system, with or without any Republican votes.
Some Republicans doubt that scenario, saying Democrats have lost momentum for any plan that's certain to draw fierce criticism. But they noted that the White House has not backed away from its support of legislation similar to what the Democratic-controlled House and Senate passed separately last year over strong GOP objections.
"This is a clever tactic by the president to try to put the Republicans on the defensive," said John Feehery, a GOP consultant and former congressional aide.
The House's top two Republican leaders openly questioned Obama's sincerity and hinted they might skip the meeting if he uses the Democratic bills as the starting point for discussions.
"Assuming the president is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over?" said a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel from Boehner and GOP Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia.
"If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate," Boehner and Cantor wrote.
That's how conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh sees it. He says Republicans should not be afraid of being called naysayers on health care — they should wear the label proudly. "Negotiating with Obama is a waste of time," Limbaugh said on his program Monday. "All it's doing is helping him fulfill a photo-op promise of having this stuff televised, and it's also to set (Republicans) up as the reason this didn't pass."
They asked Obama to rule out using "budget reconciliation" rules, which could allow Democrats to enact some health care provisions with a simple Senate majority, not the 60-vote super majority needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics. Democrats control 59 of the Senate's 100 seats.
White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said the president will not rule out using reconciliation, but is sincere in wanting to hear Republicans' ideas.
In announcing his call for the bipartisan event in a CBS News interview Sunday, Obama was vague when asked whether he was willing to start from scratch on health care. But the White House circulated talking points saying the president is "adamant about passing comprehensive reform similar to the bills passed by the House and the Senate" shortly before Democrats lost their filibuster-proof Senate majority.
All presidents command a bully pulpit, and Democrats feel Obama was especially nimble in parrying House Republicans' arguments and criticisms at a Jan. 29 televised event. The Feb. 25 setting could offer him a similar chance to spar with his critics.
Liberal groups hope Americans will see the Republicans as obstructionists, possibly encouraging Democrats to use their still-sizable congressional majorities to enact their health care proposals via the budget reconciliation rules, without GOP help.
If the Feb. 25 meeting clarifies the sharp differences between the two parties, "that might be helpful," said Richard Kirsch of the liberal Heath Care for America Now.
But some Republicans said Obama runs the risk of appearing insincere if he convenes the bipartisan gathering without showing greater willingness to shelve or greatly change his party's proposals.
From my perspective, we've been debating this whole thing for quite some time. Republicans have had many ideas put into the bill, which tells me that two people are liars; those who say that the GOP has no ideas, and the GOP for suggesting that the Democrats are just giving them the cold shoulder. The truth is the GOP has had their say, they've been able to offer suggestions and ideas and many have been incorporated. Many of the ideas the Dems are suggesting are the ones the GOP themselves offered as a counter to Hillarycare. The whole process has been long and agonizing and deliberate, and most of it was televised. Now the GOP doesn't like that some recent negotiations took place off camera, fair enough. But when they will get to share a stage at a televised event where they can share their ideas (again), they are worried?
Why? This isn't a pundit's cable program where they will get shouted down and not allowed to speak. They will be able to have the floor and blow smoke for a good long time without interruption, all televised, and they can prove their point that they have better ideas. If the ideas are sound and the American people are listening, then they could easily score political points, gain ground in November, and perhaps even re-shape the debate about healthcare, because the Dems have their butts on the line come election time, and they are too chicken **** to actually follow their principles. They will vote however they think will get them re-elected. So, the Republicans will have more power in this upcoming televised event than they could possibly imagine, and they are shying away?
What exactly are they afraid of, is my question. I've been hearing lots of tough, aggressive talk lately. You'd think they'd be itching for a chance to verbally wrestle the Democrats to the ground. What gives?
---
I also love the "start over" talking point. We've had decades to discuss how to reform the system. We know what ideas both sides have, why are we kidding ourselves to think that something new will come up? There's only so many ways to pay for something, and only so many ways to reduce costs. Neutral experts have been consulted, the CBO has looked at the Dems' proposal and called it fiscally sound. We've been talking about it at length for, it seems, a year straight. Now we're going to trash all the progress we've made and start over? Nakedly, this means: Please delay until next election. Please delay until next election. Hopefully we can reduce the Democratic majority enough to ensure that with a couple Dems bought and paid for, the reform will never happen. Which is a good thing, since health care costs are approaching 1 out of every 5 dollars we spend, and other countries spend far less than that to cover everybody. But that's government, and government is wrong. We're much better off under the insurance companies who will toss us out for no reason, raise premiums at any time they wish, while making record profits. I'm pining for the "death panels". Please, give me a death panel. Ration me some healthcare. I'd stand a better chance under such a fictional system than with the 100% failure rate that the current system is giving someone like me, who has no money.